High-level speakers address the CD

Gabriella Irsten | Reaching Critical Will of WILPF
25 February 2012

The Conference on Disarmament (CD) met for a short plenary on Monday, 25 February and for a longer one on Tuesday, 26 February to hear high-level speakers. Representatives from Argentina, Iraq, Slovakia, Mongolia, Qatar, Kazakhstan, Japan, Viet Nam, and Estonia delivered statements.

In addition to the high-level speakers, some delegations also used their right to reply in order to comment on some of the statements, such as the United Kingdom (UK), Argentina, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Republic of Korea, and Japan.

Disarmament machinery and processes

All speakers expressed disappointment that the CD has continued to fail to agree on a programme of work.

While renewing his country’s commitment to the CD, Argentina’s Vice Chancellor, Mr. Antonio Zuain, pointed out it also needs to be judge by the results it provides. He argued that nuclear weapon states must take a leading role on nuclear disarmament and highlighted the double standard of promoting non-proliferation while continuing to develop and modernize nuclear weapons and to stall the destruction of existing stocks. Such double-standards were also highlighted by the Vice President of Iraq, Mr. Khudier AlKhuzaie.

The representatives from Mongolia, Slovakia, Qatar, and Viet Nam expressed support for the 2012 UN General Assembly (UNGA) resolutions relevant to disarmament machinery. However the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, Mr Alexei Volkov, emphasised that taking issues outside the CD would be “unacceptable” and the UNGA resolutions “should be aimed at further fostering the role and prestige of the Conference.” On the other hand, Ms. Toshiko Abe, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan stated that these resolutions “are surely manifestations of the international community’s impatience with the protracted impasse in this Conference.”

Representatives from Argentina, Slovakia, Japan, Estonia, and Mongolia all expressed that a fissile materials cut-off treaty (FMCT) is their priority and the Mongolian representative highlighted that to his delegation, an FMCT should further both non-proliferation and disarmament. Kazakhstan’s representative emphasised that all four core issues are equally important and Iraq’s Vice President mentioned that dealing with outer space is of importance for his government.

Observer states Estonia and Qatar expressed an interest in becoming full members of the CD.

Several speakers noted important upcoming event such as the Oslo conference on the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons, the 2013 Preparatory Committee of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), and the UN high-level meeting on nuclear disarmament in September.

Nuclear weapons free zones (NWFZ)

Many of the high-level speakers expressed disappointment that the conference on a weapons of mass destruction free zone (WMDFZ) in the Middle East did not take place in December 2012, as originally planned. Mr. Al Attiyah, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Qatar, “emphasised the need to pressure Israel to participate in this conference, prevent it from hindering the conference success, and ensure its commitment to its conclusions, in order to enhance peace and security in the region and to consolidate the global non-proliferation system.” Mr. AlKhuzaie of Iraq also highlighted that the next step that needs to be taken towards a WMDFZ in the Middle East is for Israel to disarm its nuclear weapons and to accede to the NPT and submit its nuclear facilities to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards.

Regarding other NWFZs, Mr. Aleksey Volkov of Kazakhstan updated delegations on the zone in Central Asia (CANWFZ), where the countries are in a process to institutionalize the treaty. He announced that the members of the NWFZ are now ready to start discussing with the five nuclear weapons states to sign the protocol on security assurances.

Mr. Luvsanvandan Bold, Foreign Minister of Mongolia, also highlighted the importance that NWFZs have in contributing to both global and regional peace and security. Last year the Mongolian NWFZ celebrated 20 years. He noted that “we [Mongolia] highly value and appreciate the P5 commitment to respect our status and not to contribute to any act that would violate it.” He also expressed his country’s belief that working towards a NWFZ in Northeast Asia would help to get rid of the nuclear weapons on the Korean peninsula.

Dispute over Falkland Islands

Mr. Antonio Zuain of Argentina raised the issue of the territorial dispute between the United Kingdom and Argentina regarding the Falklands Islands. He expressed concern with the UK’s presence in the region, saying this is “creating challenges” to the implementation of the security assurances of the Tlatelolco treaty. He pointed at the military presence of the UK in the region, including the placement of nuclear submarines capable of carrying nuclear weapons in the region. He regretted that the UK has not provided any official clarification on the introduction of nuclear weapons into the NWFZ.

In a right of reply, the UK delegation stated that it has no doubt of the sovereignty over the Falkland Islands and its right to self-determination. Ambassador Adamson argued that the UK has not changed its defensive posture in the region and the UK military presence is only for defence purposes to protect the Falkland islanders right to self-determination. She also stated that the UK “ratified Talatoloc in 1969 and we will continue to honour that agreement.”

DPRK nuclear weapons test

The DPRK’s nuclear test on 12 February continued to be addressed by delegations. The representatives of Argentina, Slovakia, Kazakhstan, Estonia, and Japan condemned the DPRK’s nuclear test, its missile programme, and its violation of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions 1718, 1874, and 2087. Japan also drew attention to the inappropriate language the DPRK delegation used in last week’s CD plenary meeting. Mr. Alexei Volkov of Kazakhstan called for the “immediate resumption of the six-party talks on North Korea’s nuclear program and urges Pyongyang to refrain from any step that could lead to the escalation of tension.”

Next plenary meeting

The high-level segment will continue on Wednesday, 27 February at 12:00, when the CD will hear statements from Ireland, Jordan, and Slovenia.